


Floating

by KrisseyCrystal (IceCreAMS)



Series: Fluff Bingo [16]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Domestic Fluff, Drabble, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Fluff Bingo!, and also Pearl thinks a lot, but what else is new, implied uh established relationship, kinda i mean they aren't afraid to get close, that's it man they're just super gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:28:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24075976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceCreAMS/pseuds/KrisseyCrystal
Summary: “You don’t gotta jump in all at once,” Bismuth murmurs, a small smile on her face. The glow from the lava illuminates her hue into a soft, rosy grey. It warms her cool tones. “Take it slow.”“I’ll have you know my boiling point is higher than yours.”“Is it?”Or, Bismuth and Pearl enjoy a lava bath together.
Relationships: Bismuth/Pearl (Steven Universe)
Series: Fluff Bingo [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1655521
Comments: 12
Kudos: 54
Collections: Writing Squad Fluff Bingo





	Floating

Because touch and sensation have always been two separate things to gems, Pearl is not sure how Bismuth came up with the idea that the temple’s lava bath is “soothing.” 

Pearl dips the tip of her foot into the boiling liquid and marvels at the way it sluggishly laps at her light. She can’t bring herself to classify this as experiential. Steven’s ukulele is _soothing_. Playing the bass is _soothing_. Winning a sparring match is _soothing_. When the two have never coincided and can never coincide for gems’ light-composed forms, how could something as tangible as a lava bath provide a modifiable experience?

Bismuth takes her hand.

“You don’t gotta jump in all at once,” Bismuth murmurs, a small smile on her face. The glow from the lava illuminates her hue into a soft, rosy grey. It warms her cool tones. “Take it slow.”

“I’ll have you know my boiling point is higher than yours.”

“Is it?”

Pearl smiles. She sits on the rim of the stone well, her eyes falling down to watch the way her thin legs kick back and forth in the lava. If she holds them up, it almost looks like her legs are floating. “Well, it depends on the pearl, but yes, I think it is.”

“Huh.”

Bismuth dips her chin to her chest. Her two broad arms rest along the curve of the well. Her left forearm settles comfortably behind Pearl. Pearl doesn’t know why her face is doing that funny ice-thing at the contact.

_ I don’t have nerve endings. _

Why does she feel funny at Bismuth’s touch?

“I’m sorry?” Bismuth’s hesitant laugh interrupts Pearl’s train of thought, unless maybe it wasn’t so much that as a train of speech.

Pearl’s hands flutter to her mouth. “Oh. I’m--”

“--didn’t mean to say that out loud?”

“N-no.”

There’s another strange thing: the sensation in Pearl’s gut that swoops when Bismuth raises her brow. Or maybe it’s the downright sultry turn of Bismuth’s lips that does it. Whatever it is, these things are nonsensical: the reactions Bismuth manages to get out of her entirely composed of light being.

“How are you doing that?” Pearl asks. She fists her hands against her thighs.

“Doing what?”

The invisible question mark Pearl can practically see floating above Bismuth’s head is adorable. Does Bismuth really have no idea the effect she has on her?

Huh.

Pearl slips further into the lava pool. The burning red and yellow is supposed to be up to her collar, now; she knows that it is. She may not derive pleasure or pain from her light form but the liquid pressure of the lava surrounding her is satisfying, nonetheless. Or perhaps the fact that it  _ is  _ around her. Perhaps there is security in its closeness as it envelops her. 

Pearl leans into Bismuth, pressing her shoulder against the side of Bismuth’s chest. 

Just as she thought it would, Bismuth’s cheeks darken. “Pearl…”

“You’re right,” Pearl hums and smiles, pleased. “But it’s not the lava that is soothing.”

Bismuth laughs.

And though she doesn’t have lungs, her chest shakes with it. 

Pearl leans her head on Bismuth’s shoulder and listens to the sound, letting the motions run through her. She thinks maybe she ought to admit that puzzling over the tangibility and intangibility of pleasure is pointless when pleasure-causing things aren’t necessarily physical.

Maybe it’s the simple joy of  _ being _ that makes her feel so wonderfully happy.

Or maybe she owes it to someone who makes _ being _ happy so damn wonderful.

**Author's Note:**

> written for some SUPER SWEET people on Tumblr: an Anon & [@heckyeahbispearl](https://heckyeahbispearl.tumblr.com/). thanks for BOTH OF YOU requesting "bathing together" from my Fluff Bingo! card with these two. honestly, it was a galaxy brain take.
> 
> it was Anon's idea for the bath in "bathing together" being a lava bath btw alksdjflsk
> 
> thanks for reading and i hope you enjoyed the soff <3


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